Verdict: Worth reading for the premise and the pace, especially for younger teens. Adult readers will likely find the characters thin and the mystery frustrating, since the book withholds information mostly because the plot needs it to.
The setup
James Dashner’s 2009 novel opens with a boy waking up in a rising elevator with no memory except his first name, Thomas. He arrives in the Glade, a walled clearing populated entirely by teenage boys who have arrived the same way, one per month, for two years. Every morning the stone walls open onto a vast maze that rearranges itself at night, when monstrous creatures called Grievers hunt anyone caught inside. The Gladers have spent two years mapping it, looking for a way out.
What works
The premise is excellent, and the first act is genuinely gripping. The Glade itself is the most interesting part of the book for a site like ours: the boys have built a functioning little society, with farming, livestock, cooking, construction, medical care, strict rules and a council that enforces them. Watching how they divide labor, punish rule-breakers and keep order without adults is the best survival material in the novel, and we wished the book spent more time on it.
The pacing is relentless. Short chapters end on cliffhangers, which makes it a fast read and a good pick for reluctant readers.
What doesn’t
The mystery runs on characters refusing to explain things to Thomas for no good reason. The Gladers know a great deal about how their world works, but they keep telling him he’ll learn later, and the only real reason is that the book wants to save its answers. That gets frustrating fast.
Most of the characters are also defined by one trait. Minho is tough, Newt is steady, Chuck is sweet, Gally is hostile. Teresa, the only girl to arrive, is given very little to do in this first book. And the invented Glader slang, meant to make the society feel lived-in, often reads as a way to avoid swearing.
Finally, the ending explains part of the mystery and then opens a much bigger one. It is a setup for the sequels, not a resolution, so be prepared to keep reading if you want answers.
Who should read it
Readers around 12 to 15 will likely love it. Older readers who enjoy a strong premise and don’t mind thin characters will have a good time. If you want a deep post-apocalyptic world, start with something else.
Did the Glade’s society convince you? Tell us in the comments how long you think it would have held together without the Maze.